Colorado Department of Corrections to look into parole program

The Colorado Department of Corrections is taking a closer look at its parole program. It comes after an internal audit reveals parole officers cited budget constraints as the reason why parolees were taken off or not put on intensive supervision.

A report of the DOC's findings says since 2002, there have been 1,198 parolees that were taken off or not put on the Intensive Supervised Parole program because according to parole officers, there wasn't enough money in the budget. The last instance reported was in May.

One state lawmaker said that's surprising because in his five years as state representative, the DOC hasn't asked for more money for their ISP program.

"I would think that public safety is a paramount issue in this circumstance," State Representative Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, said. "And if they truly need more dollars for ISP, they should be coming back to the legislature and asking for that money."

KRDO NewsChannel 13 tried speaking with someone on camera at the DOC but was told they could only do so once they complete the remaining audits they are working on. They did say they have had adequate funding all along and have also returned funds in the past.

Copyright 2013 KRDO. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Recommended

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.